Volume 26, Issue 3 (September 2022)                   Physiol Pharmacol 2022, 26(3): 248-258 | Back to browse issues page


XML Print


Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:

Balakrishnan G, Dutt R A, Bangera S, Thalenjeri P, Balasubramaniyam K, Valavoor Fathima A. Customized student inventory for the smooth transition of low achievers to advanced learners. Physiol Pharmacol 2022; 26 (3) :248-258
URL: http://ppj.phypha.ir/article-1-1741-en.html
Abstract:   (1566 Views)
Introduction: Each undergraduate medical student embarks upon a unique learning journey. A few students achieve their targets smoothly but some land in the group labeled low achievers. We aimed to identify the low achievers, determine their problems, identify their learning preferences and then address these using appropriate remedial measures, thus creating a customized student inventory. Methods: Low achievers were categorized into study and control groups. The study group students’ learning problems were categorized into cognitive, affective, interpersonal and structural domains based on their responses to a questionnaire and were allotted to a faculty in-charge, who identified their learning preferences based on the VARK questionnaire. Customized remedial measures were administered to the study group. Academic performances of both study group and control group students were compared. Results: The majority of students of the study group had affective problems, inability to understand the subject with their method of learning, mismanagement of time, problems in interacting with students and teachers. The study group preferred a multimodal approach to learning. Following the implementation of the inventory among study group students, there was a significant improvement in their academic performance when compared with their previous examination results. The academic performance significantly improved with a large effect size in study group when compared to the control group. Conclusion: Understanding the problems of each medical undergraduate low achiever student, applying customized student inventory with targeted remedial measures directed at their learning problems and preferred mode of learning enabled a smooth transition of low achievers to advanced learners.
Full-Text [PDF 845 kb]   (216 Downloads)    

References
1. Arulampalam W, Naylor RA, Smith JP. Dropping out of medical school in the UK: explaining the changes over ten years. Med Educ 2007; 41: 385-394. [DOI:10.1111/j.1365- 2929.2007.02710.x]
2. Austin EJ, Evans P, Magnus B, O'Hanlon K. A preliminary study of empathy, emotional intelligence and examination performance in MBChB students. Med Educ 2007; 41: 684-689. [DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2923.2007.02795.x]
3. Balaji N K, Murthy P, Kumar D N, Chaudhury S. Perceived stress, anxiety, and coping states in medical and engineering students during examinations. Ind Psychiatry J 2019; 28: 86. [DOI:10.4103/ipj.ipj_70_18]
4. Bansal S, Thind S, Jaswal S. Relationship between quality of home environment, locus of control and achievement motivation among high achiever urban female adolescents. Int J Hum Ecol 2006; 19: 253-257. [DOI:10.1080/09709274.2006.11905887]
5. Chou CL, Kalet A, Costa MJ, Cleland J, Winston K. Guidelines: The dos, don'ts and don't knows of remediation in medical education. Perspect Med Educ 2019; 8: 322-338. [DOI:10.1007/s40037-019-00544-5]
6. Dzulkifli MA, Alias I. Students of low academic achievement-their personality, mental abilities and academic performance: How counsellor can help. Int J Humanit Soc Sci 2012; 2: 220-225.
7. Fleming ND. I'm different; not dumb. Modes of presentation (VARK) in the tertiary classroom. Journal 1995; 18: 308-313.
8. Hayat AA, Shateri K, Amini M, Shokrpour N. Relationships between academic self-efficacy, learning-related emotions, and metacognitive learning strategies with academic performance in medical students: a structural equation model. BMC Med Educ 2020; 20: 1-11. [DOI:10.1186/s12909-020-01995-9]
9. Haynes CA, Shelton K. Beyond the classroom: A framework for growing school capacity in a digital age. J Res Technol Educ 2018; 50: 271-281. [DOI:10.1080/15391523.2018.1451791]
10. Hojat M, Gonnella JS, Mangione S, Nasca TJ, Veloski JJ, Erdmann JB, et al. Empathy in medical students as related to academic performance, clinical competence and gender. Med Educ 2002; 36: 522-527. [DOI:10.1046/j.1365-2923.2002.01234.x]
11. Hong WH, Vadivelu J, Daniel EGS, Sim JH. Thinking about thinking: changes in first-year medical students' metacognition and its relation to performance. Med Educ 2015; 20: 27561. [DOI:10.3402/meo.v20.27561]
12. Huberty T J. Test and performance anxiety. Educ Leadersh 2009; 10: 12-16.
13. Jones M. Interpersonal Relationships as Sources of Medical Student Stress. Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry 1983; 1: 4. [DOI:10.29046/JJP.001.1.003]
14. Kilminster S, Cottrell D, Grant J, Jolly B. AMEE Guide No. 27: Effective educational and clinical supervision. Med Teach 2007; 29: 2-19. [DOI:10.1080/01421590701210907]
15. Kumar S, Kulkarni P, Kavitha H, Manjunath R. Study skills and strategies of the medical students among medical colleges in Mysore district, Karnataka, India. Int J Community Med Public Health 2016; 3: 2543-2549. [DOI:10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20163069]
16. Kusurkar R, Ten Cate TJ, Vos C, Westers P, Croiset G. How motivation affects academic performance: a structural equation modelling analysis. Advances in health sciences education 2013; 18: 57-69. [DOI:10.1007/s10459-012-9354-3]
17. Macdonald Cobb M. Characteristics of Slow Learners. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, 1961; 35: 345-348. [DOI:10.1080/00098655.1961.11477641]
18. Mihăilescu A, Diaconescu L, Ciobanu A, Donisan T, Mihailescu C. The impact of anxiety and depression on academic performance in undergraduate medical students. Eur Psychiatry 2016; 33: 284-284. [DOI:10.1016/j.eurpsy.2016.01.761]
19. Quirk ME. How to learn and teach in medical school: a learner-centered approach: Charles C Thomas Publisher, 1994
20. Rajkamal A, Prema N. Effectiveness of Counselling on Academic Achievement of Low Achievers. Int J Environ Sci 2018; 13: 11-16.
21. Sarfaraz S, Nisar MK, Afaq E. Effect of Time Management Skills on Academic Performance of Medical Students. Med Forum Mon 2017; 28: 18-20.
22. Saxena Y, Shrivastava A, Singh P. Medical Education Gender correlation of stress levels and sources of stress among first year students in a medical college. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol 2014; 58: 147-151.
23. Tonesk X, Buchanan RG. An AAMC pilot study by 10 medical schools of clinical evaluation of students. J Med Educ 1987; 62: 707-18. [DOI:10.1097/00001888-198709000-00001]
24. Urval RP, Kamath A, Ullal S, Shenoy AK, Shenoy N, Udupa LA. Assessment of learning styles of undergraduate medical students using the VARK questionnaire and the influence of sex and academic performance. Adv Physiol Educ 2014; 38: 216-220. [DOI:10.1152/advan.00024.2014]
25. Vaughn LM, Baker RC, DeWitt TG. The problem learner. Teach Learn Med 1998; 10: 217-222. [DOI:10.1207/S15328015TLM1004_4]
26. Xie YJ, Sun T, Yang LB. The effects of academic adaptability on academic burnout, immersion in learning, and academic performance among Chinese medical students: a cross-sectional study. BMC Med Educ 2019; 19: 211. [DOI:10.1186/s12909-019-1640-9]

Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.